SIHA Newsletter for 12/24/2021

by admin | Dec 24, 2021 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah
Parshas Shemos
Candle lighting: 4:16

This week’s Parsha begins by telling us the names of each individual who descended to Egypt with Yaakov. Each name is emphasized. The Torah does not contain even one extra letter, yet the Torah enumerates each name. Later on, we see that the Jewish people were praised for keeping their Jewish names and not using Egyptian names. This action was a great merit towards the redemption.

The Torah is teaching us an important lesson.
Your name is not just a means of identifying a particular individual but actually defines you.
When a person uses their Jewish name, they are announcing, “I am a Jew, I consider myself a Jew, I am proud of my identity as a Jew!” They are telling the world that they are proud of who they are.

Each and every Jewish name is unique and has a special meaning. Jewish tradition teaches that parents are given divine inspiration when naming a child. Every child gets a name that is perfectly suited for them.

You have a special Jewish name. Use it proudly!

Mrs. Rosskamm
Judiac Studies Coordinator

Special Announcement
Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we had a wonderful week at Siha.
The students are being very welcoming to each other and filling out many welcoming contest cards.
Each student who fills out card(s) receives a prize.
There are also raffle winners chosen for each class.
Keep them coming! We’re very proud
Shabbat Shalom!

Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz
Mrs Ferber

Judaics
Kindergarten and First Grade
We baruch Hashem had another great week in Judaics – whether in class or on Zoom!
In kriah, the kindergarteners learned about the letter “cookie kaf”! They had a great time using a cookie to make its dot, playing hokey pokey with the letters, dancing to different letters, and playing tic-tac-toe on Zoom! The first grade is getting really good at reading words with kamatz, patach, tzeirei, and segol! They had a great time popping all the segol balloons on Zoom!
In kesiva, the first grade learned how to make a “hey” which is like a big reish with a little reish inside.
In yahadus, we learned a new bracha (blessing) which is said on wine and grape juice – hagafen. We learned how wine is made and made a cute hagafen man so that we can always remember the correct bracha to say.
In parsha, we learned about the mean Egyptian king Pharaoh who made the Jews into slaves and how Hashem promised to punish the Egyptians and free the Jews through His messenger Moshe.
We also learned about the important mitzvah of “kibbud av va’eim” (that starts with a kaf!) – honoring one’s parents. We know how our parents do so much for us and how we must always listen to them right away and give them our utmost respect.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again in school!
Morah Chavi

Second Grade
We had an interesting week as we transitioned onto zoom on Wednesday. We are learning about the Parsha of Shimot which is the 2nd book of the Torah. This week in Shuls all over the world we listen to the Torah Reading of Parshat Shimot which describes the hard labor the Jews were forced to do as slaves in Egypt and the birth of Moshe (Moses) who eventually
under the directive of Hashem (G-d)leads the Jews out of Mitzrayim (Egypt). We learn that if we want something we have to put in the effort and try our hardest. Batya the daughter of King Phaaroh wanted to save the Jewish baby she saw floating in the Nile River but her arm was too short and she couldn’t reach it until Hashem performed a miracle whereby her arm stretched until she was able to retrieve the basket with the baby. We began our unit on Brochot and learned the Brochot of Hamotzei and Mizonot.

Third Grade
This week in third grade was definitely unusual.
We started off with reviewing the Rosh Millah which they all know beautifully.
We continued to review Dikduk and that was done beautifully as well.
In Pitgam we enjoyed a lesson thanks to Mira Elkaiev about how we should always give a person the benefit of the doubt since we don’t know the other half of the story. Continuing the week on Zoom 3rd grade learned maturely and beautifully.
We practiced Kriah, Dikduk, colors in Ivrit and Parsha.
Hope to see you all next week healthy and well.

Shabbat Shalom!
Morah Ferber

Fourth Grade
Dear Parents,
This week was very accomplishing.
We spent much time talking about the Beracha of Birchat Hatorah. We spoke
about how special it is to belong to the Jewish nation. We said how Torah has to
be sweet and very enjoyable for us.
In our Yahadus class we spoke about the Jewish months of the year. It was loads
of fun figuring what happens in each month. Some students even knew in which
Hebrew month their Birthday falls out.
Mia Factor and Matthew Kipnis did very nicely in their classwork in Yahadus.
Yes, we worked on our Hebrew words and Shoroshim – root words.
We had a super quiz of the Hebrew words on our Bulletin Board.
For Parsha class we saw exciting slides all about the Parsha, of how Moshe
Rabienu was put in a basket and put into the river. Bisya the daughter of Pharoh
took him out and took care of him. Leah Yakobzon is the winner of the Pasha
notebook.
Maayan Malka is awarded the Helper of the week.
A big Thank you to Mrs. Amos for getting the Artscroll Parsha Books that we are
very excited to use.

Have a Shabbat Shalom,
Stay healty and well.
Rabbi B.

5th and 6th Boys
We began the week discussing a Mishna regarding the law of a person falling on a lost object vs a person making an acquisition on a lost object.
We ended the week focussing on a Mishna that teaches the law of finding a live object, like a lame deer or young pigeons that could not fly vs a healthy deer or birds that could fly, and having our yard acquire them for us. We learned that our yard/property can acquire an object for us in certain instances i.e. when it is in our power to confine the animal.
We learned about the Parasha.
We Began learning the laws of Shmone esre.
I really must say that I am very proud of my 5th and 6th grade troopers who have been very motivated to do well and hand [email/google docs] their papers to me.
Looking forward to seeing you all in person asap
Shabbat Shalom

7th and 8th Girls
What a week!
Beautiful davening.
On Tuesday, when only a few brassbound students were in class, we took the time to slowly recite Shmone esre [most of it] while turn taking reading from our smart board!
A lot of learning. We began a new Perek in Yehoshua about the Jews conquering Ha’ay and Ay and followed up in our beautiful workbook.
We delved deeper into Parashat B’ha’aloscha, which we concretized with Rabbi Kuritsky’s customized sheet. We began a new chapter discussing the laws of Shmone Esre.
Of course we studied the weekly Parasha. Girls are excited about our upcoming weekly Parasha quiz.
I really must commend the wonderful girls for their commitment to their studies which was shown by their diligence on zoom and by turning in work papers.
Naturally, we learned about Parashat Shmos. We read about the Parasha, from an outline and filled in work sheets .
All in all in class and on zoom we had a very productive week.

7th and 8th Boys
Dear Parents,
This week we covered many topics
In Biur Tefilla class we spoke about the Beracha of Shemona Esreh of Teka
B’shofar. We ask Hashem to Blow the Great Shofar and bring us together. We
spoke about being together with one another is very important. In Davening Oren
Dery was amazing. We are very proud of him.
In Gemara we spoke about an amazing Gemara that askes a question that how
could “Umatza” mean 2 different things. The Gemara answers that each place is
the topic of that Pasuk. In Gemara class Jeffrey Shutman was awarded Learner of
the week.
In Halacha we started learning about the great Mitzvah of Honoring Parents. We
saw in the Halacha that it is as if you are Honoring Hashem.
Doron Glickman is the awarded the Student of the week.
Topics from the Parsha:
The בני ישראל became a very big nation very quickly, as they were having 6
babies at a time.
פרעה saw the many Yidden and became nervous that they might fight and take
him over, or leave מצרים. So he “forgot” all the good that יוסף had done to help
him, and started to plan mean ways to stop the Yidden from growing any more.
פרעה tricked the Yidden into becoming his slaves. שבט לוי didn’t have to work
since they never went from the beginning.
פרעה had a new plan: he told שפרה and פועה to secretly kill the baby boys as
soon as they were born. Of course they didn’t listen, and they got a special
reward from Hashem.
פרעה tried another idea. To openly kill all the newborn baby boys by throwing
them into the Nile River. Why did פרעה say to throw them into the water and
not kill them a different way?
משה רבינו was born to his father עמרם, and his mother יוכבד. He had a sister
מרים, and brother אהרן.

משה was hidden in his house for 3 months. When his parents became afraid
that he would be found, they made a basket for him and “hid” him in the Nile
River.
מרים stood on the side to watch and see what would happen to משה. בתיה the
daughter of פרעה came down to the river and saw the basket. She stretched
out her hand to take it, and decided to bring the baby home.
מרים told בּתי’ that she knows someone who can feed the baby and quickly
called her mother to come.
משה got his name from בתיה, he was raised in the palace of פרעה.
When משה got older he looked for ways to help the Yidden (רחמנות). He saved
a Yid who was getting beaten by a מצרי, by killing him using Hashem’s special
Name.
The next day, he saw 2 Yidden named דתן and אבירם fighting. When he
stopped them, they got upset at him, and told פרעה that he killed a מצרי. After
Hashem saved him from פרעה, משה escaped to מדין.
While משה was waiting by a well (like יעקב אבינו did), he met the 7 daughters of
יתרו. He helped them get water from the well (רחמנות). He later married צפורה,
the daughter of יתרו. He had 2 sons named גרשום and אליעזר.
Hashem spoke to משהfrom inside of a burning bush, and told him that the time
for the Yidden to leave מצרים had come. The time had come for the Yidden to
receive the Torah and go to ארץ ישראל, with משה רבינו as their leader.
משה together with אהרן went to פרעה and told him that Hashem wants the
Yidden to go free. As we know, פרעה didn’t listen and he made the Yidden work
even harder.

Have a Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Berelowitz

Elementary School

Kindergarten
This week kindergarten really impressed me with their ability to continue to do amazing work even when they are on zoom! I am very proud of them! This week they made a TH puppet and practiced reading and spelling TH words. They also learned the welded sound that the letters INK make. They learned how to identify the beginning, middle, and end of a story in preparation to begin writing their own personal narratives once we are back in the classroom. In math they practiced using non standard tools to measure the length and the width of objects. They reviewed the math facts they have learned so far, learned a couple of new facts, and practiced adding and subtracting 1 from a number using mental math. In science they learned all about what makes day and night and what we see in the daytime and in the nighttime. They also learned how to describe the physical properties of objects. The children picked an object in their house and if they described its physical properties well enough we were able to guess what the object was. In social studies some of the class got to share their family tree projects. They were very excited to share their family trees with the class and they did a wonderful job on their presentations.

Third Grade
This week Grade 3 read an article about a race in a small Alaskan town called Nome. This was no ordinary race, but one to save children from an illness that threatened their lives. We read about the treacherous journey Bolto along with his dog sled team and musher Gunner Kaasen took to bring the medicine to their town. After reading about the true tale of 1925, we also watched the film version to compare and contrast the story. We noticed many differences, but were also able to recognize a few similarities. During our math lessons, students worked on developing their problems solving skills. We worked on solving two step problems and creating bar graphs to represent the information. In Social Studies, students reviewed the effect the different landforms have on people’s lives. We also examined how climate and weather differ, as well as their effect on the way we live.
Miss Sasha

In science, students learned and identified what makes up an ecosystem; described how living things meet their needs in habitat; identified habitats in a pond and forest community.

Fourth Grade
This week in math we reviewed our unit on fractions and are ready to take the test next week.
In ELA we continued to work on persuasive writing. Use present and past tense linking verbs, identified and use irregular past tense verbs, and identify and use contractions with NOT.
In Social Studies we reviewed for our chapter 4 test Living in the East. Test will be on Wednesday.
Kids did amazing on zoom. I’m very proud of all of them!

In science, students learned and observed the response of a plant to a stimulus; understood how organisms detect and respond to stimuli; understand how animals learn; distinguish learned and inherited behavior.

Fifth Grade
5A
In ELA students learned about proper and common nouns. They finished their novel, Maniac Magee and began their essay. I am happy to see that the students in 5A are rising to the challenge of this essay.
In science, students recognized photosynthesis as an adaptive characteristic of plants that improves their ability to survive in an ecosystem; learned and recognized that tropisms are adaptive characteristics of plants that improve their ability to survive in an ecosystem; compare the adaptive characteristics of plants that result in their ability to reproduce.
5B
In ELA, students learned about proper and common nouns. They continued to read and discuss their novel. I am happy to say that they will be finishing their novel next week and will begin their final writing assignment for it.
In science, students recognized photosynthesis as an adaptive characteristic of plants that improves their ability to survive in an ecosystem; learned and recognized that tropisms are adaptive characteristics of plants that improve their ability to survive in an ecosystem; compare the adaptive characteristics of plants that result in their ability to reproduce.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies
6th Grade
In ELA students practiced their new vocabulary. They finished their novel study of Holes and began their essays on literary conflict. I am happy to say that the students have made excellent progress in their essays. Next week is a new novel!
In SS the 6th grade learned all about the Mauryan and Gupta empires of Ancient India. They learned of some of the advancements these civilizations made. They were particularly interested in the number system.

7th Grade
In ELA students continued preparing for the state test by writing short responses. They continued to read their class novel. Lastly, they practiced their new sets of vocabulary words. In SS students continued their unit on the French and Indian War.

8th Grade
In ELA students practiced their new vocabulary. They continued their novel study of Animal Farm, by comparing Napoleon and Snowball to each other. In SS students continued their unit on the end of WWII.

Middle School Math
5th finished applying multiplication and division of fractions to challenging problems.
6th finished applying all operations with fractions and decimals to challenging problems.
7th learned how to find the theoretical and experimental probability of simple and compound events.
8th learned how to solve absolute value equations and how to sketch their graphs given the parent function.

Middle School Science
Students are discovering what it means to be alive! Students will be completing a Scientific Explanation answering the essential question “What does an organism need to be deemed alive?” They are investigating various articles and will watch a few videos to begin their investigation, so they can determine a position and make a claim. Once their investigation is complete, students will make their claim and support it with evidence from the sources they used to complete their investigation.

Students learned and understood that the viscosity of the lava that erupts from a volcano can lead to the creation of different volcanic landforms; Students reviewed Unit 6 “Volcanoes”.
6th graders completed a research paper about the most recent Volcanoes on Earth.

SIHA Newsletter 12/17/2021

by admin | Dec 17, 2021 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Candle Lighting: 4:12pm 12/17
Havdalah: 5:16pm 12/18

Parshat Vayichi

In Parshas Vayechi, Yaakov Avinu elevates his two grandsons, Ephraim and Menashe, to the status of Shevatim (tribes). In the course of the process he bestowed on them a blessing that has become the standard blessing by which we bless our sons to this very day. “So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you shall Israel bless, saying; ‘May G-d make you like Ephraim and like Menashe.” The commentaries ask, why did Yaakov instruct the Jewish people to bless our sons to be like Ephraim and Menashe more than anyone else. This question is strengthened by the fact that we bless our daughters to be like the Imahos (Matriarchs). That being the case, it would seem most logical to bless our sons to be like the Avos (Patriarchs). One of the answers given is that Ephraim and Menashe achieved more than their potential; up to this point, only the sons of Yaakov Avinu merited to be considered among the twelve Tribes. Ephraim and Menashe were not sons of Yaakov, and therefore were not destined to be one of the Tribes. However, because of their greatness , Yaakov elevated them to the status of Shevatim. In this way, they achieved the incredible accomplishment of reaching beyond their potential. Accordingly, we bless our children to emulate Ephraim and Menashe, in that we aspire for them to reach beyond their potential. The Targum Yonasan writes that Yaakov was saying that one should bless their son to be like Ephraim and Menashe, at the brit mila in particular. It seems that this interpretation fits with the idea that we want our son to emulate Ephraim and Menashe in the area of becoming great. We see this in the prayer that we say at the brit; ‘may this kattan become a gadol’. This doesn’t mean that we want this small boy to grow up into a large man. Rather, ‘gadlus’ in this context refers to spiritual greatness. We bless our child to become truly great, as did Ephraim and Menashe. This idea teaches a person that he should aspire to surpass his own potential, but it also educates a parent as to his aspirations for his children. He should not suffice in bringing up his child to be an ‘ordinary’ Jew, rather he should aim to facilitate that his child become ‘great’.

As parents, educators, ones who have been trusted with Hashem’s most holy creations, it is our duty to show not just profound faith and resolve in our children’s abilities, but to also extend that to the steadfast belief that we parent with Hashem and He ultimately will undoubtedly provide for us whatever tools (PROTECTIONS ;)) necessary to make all of HIS child(ren)’s potential come to fruition. Kids need to see that in our eyes and feel it from our hearts, especially in todays unprecedented times.

Shabbat Shalom,
Dr. Chana Uzhansky
Head of School

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade

We baruch Hashem had another great week in Kindergarten and first grade Judaics!
In kriah, the kindergarteners learned a new letter, yud. They had so much fun making a yud yo-yo that goes high up just like a yud. The first graders are getting really good at reading words with kamatz, patach and tzeirei. Our word wall of Hebrew words is getting really full!
In kesiva, Akiva Kesiva showed the first graders how to write the letter reish in script. They can already write real words with script letters and nekudot!
In yahadut, we learned the bracha mezonot which is said on cakes, cookies and pasta. We learned how to differentiate between hamotzi and mezonot. Hopefully, the brachot men we made will always help us remember what to say. We also learned about how special the Beit Hamikdash was and how every mitzvah that we do adds a brick to the Beit Hamikdash! The kindergarten mitzvah note wall is getting really full; we are definitely building the Beit Hamikdash!
In parsha, we learned about all the blessings that Yaakov gave to his sons before he passed away.
Looking forward to another great week!
Morah Chavi

Second Grade

We had a wonderful week in 2nd grade reviewing our Kriya Skills and reviewing the entire Sefer Breishit. This Shabbat we read the last Parsha in Sefer Breishit (The book of Breishit-Genesis) To honor the occasion students came up to the board as they figured out how to spell the answers to random questions from Sefer Breishit. They enjoyed playing the card game where instead of raising their hands when they knew the answer they spread all the cards on their desk, chose the correct answer on the card and then showed Morah the correct card. This game both reinforced their Kriya skills and Parsha review. You may both enjoy playing the card game at home over the weekend.Shabbat Shalom! Morah Spiegel.

Third Grade

We all enjoyed a week of exciting lessons.
We continued with the prefix letters. We now know how to say
THE, FROM, AND, TO/ FOR, IN/ WITH and LIKE!
In dikduk the class is doing beautifully and they proved it on the test we had.
Keep it up!
In Kriah we learned a reading skill to break up our words by syllable .
This will help us with reading longer words.
Chayainu we’ve completed the number unit! I’m so proud!
Pitgam was fun thanks to Avraham Grego.
This week we’ve completed The first book of Parshiot. We will be having a test on Tuesday on the important questions for each parsha.
For that we say Chazak!
Stay warm and healthy!

Shabbat Shalom!
Morah Ferber

Fourth Grade

Dear Parents,
Yes, it was another terrific week in school.

We started our day with our beautiful Davening. We had our world famous “Super Daveners.” The children participated really nicely.
In explaining the Davening, we explained the topic of Elokei Neshama. We discussed that Hashem gave our soul to us. A soul is very precious. We spoke about how we must keep the soul pure without doing sins.
In Kriah we did a super exciting topic. It was knowing the days of the week and the items in the room in Hebrew. The children really got a good grasp on it.
Much time this week was devoted on Shoroshim. The children colored the Shoresh sheets, and we hung them on the wall to beautify our room.
We had our Lashon tov [speaking good] contest. Children said beautiful things about their friends. We spoke about how important it is to see the good in people.
On Friday we spoke about how Yaakov blessed his children Efraim and Menashe. It is very important to bless out children to be like Efraim and Menashe, on Friday night.
Welcome to our class Ms. Shani. It is a pleasure that you joined us.
We practiced for the upcoming performance which we are very excited about. Stay tuned for details.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Berelowitz

5th and 6th Boys

5th and 6th grade boys had another wonderful and educational week here at SIHA.
We began a new Mishna in Baba M’tzia. We learned and acted out the case of where one was riding on an animal who saw a M’tzia found/lost object, but didn’t want to get off the animal to retrieve it, so he asked a passerby to retrieve it and merit in it for him. Alas, the passerby did retrieve it, but for himself. We learned what the Halacha would be in that case and in a similar but different case. We, of course, learned about Parashat Vayeche and were quizzed on Parashat Vayegash.
We enjoyed some time outdoors with Rabbi Kuritsky, our quarterback , playing football, with This Team against That Team.

Clean Speech Illinois has reached SIHA !
Thousands of students in the state of Illinois have been part of the above program, and now we are getting involved in tuning up our speech. rabbi Kuritsky has shown a few short videos to help motivate the program.
We were treated to an educational video in commemoration of the fast day, Asara B’tevet.
It taught us that the Jewish children are the guarantors that Torah would continue through the generations. it was also inspirational, as it highlighted children in the Holocaust.

7th and 8th Boys

Dear Parents,
A very accomplishing week it was for us. We discussed the Beracha of Shemone Esreh that Hashem should Bless the years and Bless our livelihood. We said that during Corona many people lost their jobs, and we have to Daven for all of Bnei Yisroel that Hashem should give them good livelihood.
In Gemara we spoke about how we learn something from one word of a Pasuk. It was fascinating. We put on our bulletin board common Gemara words that the Students should read and become fluent with them. We discussed how special each word of Torah is. It was a joy to see the boys learn with such eagerness.
The Students in our class are becoming super Shakla V’ taria people. They are understanding how the step-by-step process of the Gemara works.
In Halacha class we spoke about that there are four people that need to say the Blessing of Gomel. We say it after we read the Torah. It means that we have to thank Hashem for all he has done for us.

Topics from the Parsha:
יעקב lived in מצרים for 17 years. He was now 147.
יעקב sent a message that יוסף should come. He asked יוסף to promise him that he would be buried in the מערת המכפלה. Why did he ask only יוסף?
The reason that יעקב didn’t want to be buried in מצרים was because he knew that מכת כּנים would come to מצרים’s land. Why did he want to be buried in ארץ ישראל? So that when משיח comes, his body will already be there.
יעקב davened that he should get sick before he dies, as a warning to prepare himself.
A little while later, יוסף heard that his father was sick and brought his 2 sons, מנשה and אפרים, to get a ברכה.
יעקב switched his hands, and put his right hand on אפרים, the younger son, because יהושע בן נון would come from his family. Why did יעקב switch his hands, and not switch the boys?
The ברכה that some boys get from their father ( or Zaidy ) on Friday night.
יעקב told יוסף that his sons would be like the שבטים.
יעקב gave a special ברכה to each of his sons.
יעקב was נפטר at the age of 147. The שבטים, together with officers from מצרים, brought יעקב to be buried in the מערת המכפלה.
יוסף was נפטר at the age of 110.
Keep it up,
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Berelowitz

7th and 8th Girls

This week we learned about the 7th Ani Ma’amin which is that we believe that Moshe Rabeinu was the ultimate prophet . There never was or will be another prophet as great as him ,and that all his words are true!

We, of course, learned about Parashat Vayeche and were quizzed on Parashat Vayegash.

We enjoyed some time outdoors with Rabbi Kuritsky. we raced up the hill and visited Ella’s home. Her mom was kind enough to treat us all to black and white cookies! Yum! 😀 Thank you, Mrs. Shalem!

We began a new section in Hilcot Hashkamat Haboker.
We are now studying the laws oh how to pray Sh’mone Esre.

Clean Speech Illinois has reached SIHA !
Thousands of students in the state of Illinois have been part of the above program, and now we are getting involved in tuning up our speech. rabbi Kuritsky has shown a few short videos to help motivate the program.

We were treated to an educational video, on Tuesday in commemoration of the fast day, Asara B’tevet.
It taught us that the Jewish children are the guarantors that Torah would continue through the generations. it was also inspirational, as it highlighted children in the Holocaust.
After watching the video, we all answered detailed questions, in full sentence form to be marked and graded by our ELA specialist, Mrs. Hazen.
ᐧ

Elementary School

Kindergarten

This week kindergarten finished writing their second predictable books. They did an amazing job checking the writing rubric to edit and revise their own work independently! They continued to listen to many read alouds and can now make predictions before, during, and after reading a story. The students also learned their first digraph sound. After only one day of learning the new sound they were able to read and spell words with the digraph TH! In math they continued to practice comparing numbers and filling in missing numbers to review for their math test next week. They popped balloons to practice subtraction and learned their first 2 math facts. The students had a lot of fun measuring each other using a nonstandard tool. One very clever student noticed that using nonstandard tools does not give us an accurate measurement leading to a discussion about why we need to use standard tools. In science they learned facts about the sun and why it is so important. They worked in groups to create a structure that could protect their doll or animal from the sun. In social studies they learned about what a family is, how all families are different, and about different types of extended family members. The class made a family glyph house to show the different people in their family.

First Grade

The fabulous first graders had an amazing week of learning. This week we learned about the water cycle in Science class. Students enoyed making observations about evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. In ELA, we read and wrote poetry about the seasons. Students gave great descriptions using sensory language to express how seasons look, feel, sound, taste, and smell. In Social Studies, we learned about education long ago. Students were surprised to see tools like quill pens, inkwells, and slate boards. Students also made a model of a hornbook, which was a tool used to teach writing the alphabet to students. First graders are so appreciative of the textbooks, notebooks, and smartboards we have in our SIHA classroom today.

Second Grade

This week 2nd grade is learning about measurement! We learned about different units of measurement, and had lots of fun walking around the classroom and measuring everything we could! In ELA we are journeying through the writing process! We brainstormed, drafted, and are now revising our burger paragraphs. In social studies we are learning about different cultures and traditions in the United States.

2nd Grade Science
Students learned and discussed the causes of pollution in the air and land and how to prevent them. Students had a chapter review on “Land and Water Habitats”. 2nd graders made beautiful dioramas on Land habitats.

Third Grade
Third graders had a great week!
They continued reading their class novel: Tales of a fourth grade nothing. They practiced answering reading comprehension questions and writing beautiful paragraphs. In math, students worked on challenging word problems with bar model representations
In Science, 3rd graders finished Chapter 2 “Animals” . Students learned and explored ways to classify animals; Contrast vertebrates and invertebrates.

Fourth Grade
This week in ELA kids identified and used main verb and helping verbs in sentences. Correctly used the past and present tense form of the verb HAVE. Identified and used commas correctly in given sentences. Kids also completed persuasive writing activities.
In math students added and subtracted fractions with like denominators. Identified mixed number on the number line, changed improper fractions to mixed numbers, and changed improper fractions to mixed numbers.
In Social Studies we read and discussed about Mid Atlantic states and where people live and work. Read about state government and what they do. Identified three public services the state provide and why people pay taxes.

4th Grade Science
Students learned and observed the response of a plant to a stimulus; understand how organisms detect and respond to stimuli; distinguish learned and inherited behavior.

Fifth Grade
Greetings and salutations!

This has been a pretty good week for 5th grade!
They practiced with singular and plural nouns. They continued reading their novel with some amazing class discussions. The 5th graders are quickly wrapping up their novel. Next week, they will begin their essay.
In science, students described and learned the structures and processes involved in the food-making process of plants; they recognize photosynthesis as an adaptive characteristic of plants that improves their ability to survive in an ecosystem.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies

6th Grade
Greetings and salutations!
In ELA the 6th grade practiced with subject and object pronouns.
They finished reading Hatchet and began working on their essay on literally conflict.

In Social Studies the 6th grade wrapped up their Ancient India Part1 and took their quiz. They also began leaning about the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India.

7th Grade
Greetings and Salutations!
In ELA the 7th graders practiced with subject pronouns and object pronouns.
They continues to read their class novel, The Master Puppeteer, and discuss the themes of loyalty and betrayal as they are shown in the book. The 7th graders will soon be finishing this class novel and starting their essay.

In Social Studies the 7th grade continued their exploration of the American colonies. They were particularly interested in the history of New York and how it came to be New York.

8th Grade

8th Graders had a great week!
In Grammar, we continued our study of pronouns by discussing subject and object pronouns. In reading, we started our novel study of Animal Farm. We discussed the book as an allegory for the Russian Revolution and discussed which animal character stands for which historic person. Jeffrey Shutman was particularly impressive in class discussion!

In Social Studies, we are Midway through our World War II unit. We finished the week with Pearl Harbor and wrote a journal comparing the Rise of Hitler to the Rise of Stalin.

Middle School Math

5th grade learned about division of fractions and applying that knowledge to challenging problems.
6th grade is reviewing fraction and decimal operations.
7th grade learned about statistics and how to extrapolate information from a graph.
8th learned how to graph linear inequalities on a coordinate plane and how to solve absolute value equations.

Middle School Science

6th grade
The students become familiar with the processes involved in volcanic eruptions; During a lab students observe what happens during a volcanic eruption and how it occurs.

7th grade students have been fabulous in Science. They have been investigating how our body works on a cellular level. Students have learned about the various types of cells such as prokaryotes, eukaryotes, plant and animal cells. The differences between animal and plant cells and the functions of the organelles. Shout out to all of the 7th Grade Fabulous Job! Special shout out to Mikai, Asher, Madison , Kobe and Ella. Fantastico!!! Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Students are discovering what it means to be alive! Students will be completing a Scientific Explanation answering the essential question “What does an organism need to be deemed alive?” They are investigating various articles and will watch a few videos to begin their investigation, so they can determine a position and make a claim. Once their investigation is complete, students will make their claim and support it with evidence from the sources they used to complete their investigation.

Jewish History

7th Grade finished the first unit for the year and is having a test on Tuesday! We learned about creation and used history to prove that Hashem created the world, controls the world, and cares about the world. Now that we established the foundation, we are moving on to the foundation of the Jewish Nation!

8th grade is continuing our study of the times of the second Bais HaMikdash. We learned about how the Greek Empire split into three and control of Eretz Yisroel flipped between the Ptolemaic and the Seleucid Greeks! This had a major effect on Jewish History!

SIHA Newsletter for 12/10/2021

by admin | Dec 10, 2021 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

As Yaakov and his family prepared to descend to Egypt, Yaakov sent Yehuda ahead with an important mission.
What was this essential mission that needed to be completed before Yaakov and his family could arrive?

Yaakov sent Yehuda ahead to establish a Yeshiva in Egypt. He designated a place for Torah learning. When the Jewish people arrived in Egypt, they were able to study Torah right away without any breaks. They were able to keep their tradition strong. They were able to educate their children.

Each Jewish child got a very strong message that the most important thing was Torah learning. Even before they set up homes to live in, they set up a Yeshiva to study in.

Wherever a Jewish person goes, the first thing a person must check is if there is a Jewish school. Is there a place to teach my children? Will they learn what I need them to know? A Torah education is the hallmark of the Jewish people, then as now, in every generation

Mrs. Rosskamm
Judaic Studies Curriculum Coordinator

Special Announcement!

A great big SIHA congratulations to all of our Students of the Month for November!

Kindergarten – Ilan Kadymir
First Grade – Ethan Sandler
Second Grade – Sloane Garber
Third Grade – Gal Zadok
Fourth Grade – Matthew Kipnis
5A – Oren Hecht
5B – Ben Jaffe
Middle School Judaics – Grego Charles
Middle School – Oren Bilik

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade

We baruch Hashem had another wonderful week in Kindergarten and first grade Judaics!
We wrapped up our Chanuka festivities on Monday by receiving delicious donuts and playing a fun game of pass the present around! The first graders also did a great job on their Chanuka quiz!
In kriah, the kindergarteners learned a new letter, TET, which looks just like a teapot! They know their letters really well! The first graders finished learning the nekuda patach and began learning the nekuda tzeirei which looks just like eyes (einayim). They’re also becoming pros on knowing how to read and define real kamatz and patach words.
We were so excited to begin learning the brachot (blessings) that we say on food before eating! We learned how important it is to thank others for what they give us. When we make a bracha, we thank Hashem for all the food He gives us! We learned about the bracha which is said on bread products – hamotzi- to thank Hashem for making the wheat which enables us to bake bread. We even know a song about the process of how flour becomes bread! Also, we made fun hamotzi men from different pictures of hamotzi food which we can hang in our homes to remind us of which brachot to say.
In parsha, we learned how Yosef finally revealed himself to his brothers and completely forgave them.
In tefilla, we learned the bracha that’s said on the special mitzvah that a Jewish boy has – the mitzvah of tzitzit! We each received our own tzitzit to wear during tefilla! The girls learned about the special mitzvot that they have and the bracha of she’asani kirtzono to thank Hashem for making us the way we are.
Looking forward to another wonderful (and packed) week!
Morah Chavi

Second Grade
We had a great week as we are building our reading and writing skills in Hebrew. Learning how to say the colors in Hebrew and of course delving into the wisdom of this weeks Torah Reafing (Parsha). We learn from Yehuda who at first got angry and excited when the Egyptian viceroy(who was really Yosef) refused to allow him to stay as a slave and insisted on retaining Yosef. Afterwards Yehuda changed from being angry to speaking pleasantly and begging. We learn from this that we accomplish what we want by speaking nicely rather than by being angry and raising voices. The other lesson we learn from is f Ty on our ancestor Yosef. Before revealing his true identity to his brothers, had sent all the ministers and Egyptians out of the room in order to save his brothers from being embarrassed. We see how careful we should be not to embarrass anyone. We hope you enjoy the homemade challah at your Shabbat table tonight. Shabbat Shalom, Morah Spiegel

Third Grade
Third grade had the most amazing week swinging back into routine.
We reviewed our numbers in Ivrit and our Dikduk skills beautifully.
I’m so impressed how they’ve really picked up the skills.
Olivia Abromov taught us the wonderful lesson how just by doing one Mitzvah, it causes so many more!
We are all trying to do as many Mitzvot that we can and earning our reward in class and in Olam Habbah of course.
We learned Parsha this week really well! Third grade keepit up!
Can’t wait for next week where we will learn so much more.
Shabbat Shalom!

Fourth Grade

After a beautiful Chanukah we were back to work.
In Tefilla class after a wonderful Davening, we went through the Beracha of Asher Yatzar. We spoke about how we have thank Hashem that we are Healthy. The children knew many of the words of the beautiful Beracha on their own.
In Kriah class we spoke about Prefixes and Suffixes. We said a Shoresh and built a word and realized how the word meaning changed when we added a Prefix or Suffix.
Yes, our Chumash Play is getting closer, and we are very excited and counting the days. The children are practicing their parts beautifully.
In our Yahadus class we spoke about the different seasons and how to say them in Hebrew. The children had tons of fun trying to find out what we do in each season.
We also spoke about the different directions in Hebrew. We all Daven toward the East, and the children know why.
In Parsha class we spoke about how Yosef sent everyone out when he revealed himself to his brothers. We discussed how you must not embarrass anyone.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Berelowitz

5th and 6th Girls
Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we had an absolutely incredible Chanukah week at Siha!
We decorated donuts with frosting and colorful sprinkles – delicious! We had a wonderful time learning Chumash on Wednesday. We had Ella Dery as our watchmen, in case the Greeks would come and see us learning Torah. They would kill us because that is against our King Antiochus’s decree, which does not allow us to learn Torah. Every time Ella saw Greek soldiers coming near our cave, she would shout, “The Yevanim (Greeks) are coming!” and we would speedily put our Chumashim into our desks and take out our dreidels to play.
The dejected Greeks unfortunately could not kill us for learning Torah..
We had a spectacularly fun time at Roller Jam on Thursday. I’m not sure why the girls seemed so surprised that I could rollerblade:)
We decorated our colorful dreidel pinatas with Chanukah stickers and filled them with lots of awesome candy.
I am so proud to hear that all the girls are lighting their Menorahs at home.
Each day of Chanukah, we practiced lighting a Menorah in our classroom, singing the Berachot and songs together. And, of course, don’t forget our daily Chanukah dancing after we lit the Menorah.
We tried to stick in some regular learning as well:) We learned the Beracha of Mezonot, which we say on cake, cookies, pretzels, etc. It is the blessing we make on grains that are not turned into bread.
It is important to note that tonight we are lighting the Menorah before we light the Shabbat candles because we can’t light fire on Shabbat.

Have a wonderful and happy Shabbat Chanukah!
Enjoy your weekend.

Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz

5th and 6th grade boys
We are back on track, after our Hanukkah holiday schedule and activities.
We started off our week by davening and learning and a spectacular Chanuka M’seba = party.
We moved further in Mishna Baba Kama. We leaned and acted out a case of a rider on a “horse” asking another person to acquire a found [aka lost] object, and what the Halacha will be if the one who picked it up, not the rider acquired it for himself, or said he meant to acquire it for himself, after giving it to the rider.
We, of course, studied the emotional Parasha, Parashat Vayigash, in outline form and will be testing on it on Monday.

7th and 8th Girls
7th and 8th grade girls began the week with a nice outline lesson on the emotional Parasha, Parashat Vayegash, where Yosef finally reveals himself to his brothers as alive and viceroy of Egypt. The beautiful reunion of father [Yaakov Avenu] and son [Yosef Hatzadik] is described, as well as the settling of B’nei Yisrael in Egypt.
The girls were treated to preparing mini skits with Miss Dershowitz , which they enjoyed.
We completed another Perek on Yehoshua. It discusses the story of a man named “Achan”, who went against the rules and removed booty from Jericho, causing loss of a battle and lives to his fellow Jews, We learned about how Yehoshua caught the criminal and dealt with him.
We began the next section in the laws of Hashkamat Haboker.

Girls were privy to a few enjoyable and inspiring videos from CLEAN SPEECH ILLINOIS.
After watching the videos and following the example of Naomi Applebaum, girls practiced what we learned on the videoes .
Please ask your children what they acquired from the video lessons

7th and 8th Boys

What a terrific week it was. In tefilla class we spoke about the Beracha in Shemona Esreh of Refaeinu, that Hashem heals the sick. We spoke about how grateful we need to be, that we are healthy.
In our Gemara class we started the Gemara after we finished the Mishna. We saw a beautiful Gemara that has a question, answer, question, and answer.
Our Halacha class was very interesting. We discussed how a person needs to act in life. We gave examples and we want to put it into practice.

Ilan Abramov and Jeffrey Shutman were this week’s raffle winners.

Keep it up,
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Berelowitz

Elementary School

Kindergarten

This week kindergarten read their predictable books that they wrote to the class. They were so proud of themselves for writing their own books and being able to read them to the class. They did a wonderful job! In math they continued to play games to practice comparing numbers 1-20 and practice adding plus 1 to a number. Some students enjoyed this lesson so much they asked to practice comparing numbers and adding plus 1 to a number all the way to 100! In science they learned all about the difference between weather and climate. They watched videos of different locations to help them make comparisons of the different types of climates. In social studies they finished making their All About Me books and they shared their books with the class. They made a very smart conclusion from this assignment that although they have some things that are different from other people they also have at least 1 thing in common with others.

In science, students learned animals and plants that live in freshwater habitats and their characteristics; what an ocean is and animals that live there and the connection of food chains in the ocean.

Third Grade

This week 3rd grade students completed their class novel Love That Dog. They are all very excited to begin their next novel on Monday. During our Grammar and Spelling lessons, students practiced modifying singular nouns into their plural forms using -s and -es. During our Social Studies lessons, students learned of different land and water formations. We also learned of the benefits and hazards of living on or near particular landforms. During our Math lessons, we continued to work on our mental math strategies and solving word problems using whole part and comparison bar graphs.

In science, students will learn and explore ways to classify animals;
Contrast vertebrates and invertebrates; understand the differences between different kinds of animals.

This week in math we completed our unit on Operations of Whole Numbers and started a new unit on Fractions.
Students identified and found equivalent fractions. Compared and arranged fractions in order and
In ELA we started a new unit on Verbs and Persuasive writing. Students identified action verbs, present , future and past verbs. Used present tense verbs that agreed with the subject of sentences. Completed persuasive writing activities.
In reading we are continuing to read our class chapter book inside Out and Back Again.

In science, students learned and described the life cycle of a flowering plant; compared the life cycle of different plants; learned about inherited traits. Chapter Test was given to students.

Greetings and salutations!
5A has been quite busy in ELA this week. We continued our vocabulary study and reviewed nouns.
We also have been putting a lot of emphasis on our class novel. I am very happy with the writing and class discussions we have had so far.

5B
Classes 5A and 5B experienced many exciting Chanukah events and activities. All we have are fond memories of a very joyful and wonderful holiday. Now we must focus on our school assignments. In ELA we are learning about nouns and how to form plural nouns.

We are also doing many writing activities in Language Arts and Social Studies. The children are, also, learning many new vocabulary words.
In Social Studies, we are reading about the early European Explorers. Their reasons for coming to the Americas. Their hardships, and what each explorer discovered . The children will have a quiz on this topic.

Class 5B is reading Holes. The children are also acting out the roles of each character, while we read the book.

In science, students learned two major groups of plants and their classifications.
describe the series of changes a living organism goes through; understand the role of plants in the daily diet.
Mrs. Belli was so proud of every 5th graders for an organized Lab Report about “Celery Stem”.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies

6th

Greetings and salutations!
This week the 6th graders learned about pronouns- personal, possessive, and indefinite to be precise. They continued their novel study of Hatchet. I am happy to say that the 6th graders have been doing an amazing job locating different types of conflict within the book.

In social studies the 6th grade continued its journey through ancient India. The students were particularly curious about the caste system and peoples’ place within it.

7th
Greetings and salutations!
In ELA the 7th grade practiced more with pronouns. They also wrapped up Fever 1793 and wrote their final journals about the novel. I am looking forward to reading them!
We also started our new novel, The Master Puppeteer. The introduction activity and discussion to the new novel was very engaging.

In social studies the 7th grade continued to learn about Colonial America. The students were shocked at how much land the settlers could get if they immigrated here from England. They were also shocked at the age of some of the indentured servants. The students also watched a short film about how the settlers would build a log cabin.

8th Grade

8th graders had a busy week! In ELA, students wrapped up their unit on pronouns, and took a vocabulary quiz. Students also drafted their essays on allegory in Lord of the Flies. Everyone did a great job, but Mrs. Hazen was particularly impressed with Noga’s draft! Great job!

In Social studies, students started our unit on World War 2. We learned about the beginning of the war, and wrote a journal in which we compared the rise to power of dictators in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. 

Middle School Math

5th has been applying fraction operations to challenging word problems.

6th has finished reviewing fraction and decimal operations and applying them to word problems.

7A
7th has finished reviewing the unit on geometry.

7B
This week we have been reviewing for our upcoming exam on the area of circles and composite shapes, as well as scale drawings. We have been so excited to work with the new smart boards to show off our work!

8th has finished unit on inverses and linear equations.
Middle School Science

6th gr.
Students learned the features of a volcano and how a volcano forms, and become familiar with the processes involved in volcanic eruptions.

7th Grade

7th grade is discovering the ways in which we identify the characteristics of physical properties, the difference between a physical and chemical change and how we determine the various characteristics of matter. Students will watch various videos and conduct hands-on investigations to determine the density of an object.

8th Grade

Students are discovering what it means to be alive! Students will be completing a Scientific Explanation answering the essential question “What does an organism need to be deemed alive?” They are investigating various articles and will watch a few videos to begin their investigation, so they can determine a position and make a claim. Once their investigation is complete, students will make their claim and support it with evidence from the sources they used to complete their investigation.

Jewish History

7th grade explored the Tower of Bavel with an interesting side trip into the patterns of nature, where they come from, whey they were created and the lessons they teach us.

8th grade began exploring the times of the second Bais HaMikdash and the transition period of the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah.

SIHA Newsletter for December 3rd, 2021

by admin | Dec 3, 2021 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Mikeitz

5th grade was the beginning to a new life for me and I didn’t even know it. It was my first year attending a Jewish day school. On day 1 my Judaic studies teacher asked me what my hebrew name was and I proudly answered Yochanana, given to me by a “rabbi” from a reform temple. As I grew in learning and understanding of the Jewish way of life I acquiesced to my morah’s opinion and was given the proper Jewish name of Chana, a name carried by Torah heroines that exceeded in strong faith despite their lifetime of challenges. A name formulated via lashon hakodesh (the holy language) carries with it the spiritual attachment to our ancestors, our nation, and our Gd.

In this weeks parsha, Yosef is appointed second to the king by Pharaoh and he is given an Egyptian name. In the words of the Torah, “and Pharaoh called Yosef, Tzafnat Paneach” (Berashit 41: 45). The Torah then adds: “and Yosef went out over the land of Egypt.” If Joseph was given a new name, why does the Torah not use that name when describing his going out to rule Egypt?

The Rambam/ Maimonides’s states that a person who lives a life of kiddush Hashem (sanctifying Gd’s name in the world) was Yosef. But, isn’t sanctifying Gd’s name

commonly associated with dying for Gd? Why did Rambam not pick any of the myriad of Jews who gave their lives for the Almighty to embody this most important principle? Why pick Yosef, who did not die for God?

Rabbi Soloveichik argues that for the Rambam, the greatest sanctification of Gd is not dying for but living for Gd. Living for Gd is no simple task, as it requires a constant commitment, every day and every moment. Doing the small things that often go unnoticed is the true test of kiddush Hashem. The Rambam actually goes at great length to list first those times when its a mitzva to transgress the law rather than die. Only after explaining when life overrides the law does the Rambam mention the few times when dying for Gd is mandated. Living for God is mentioned first, as it is paramount.

No wonder then that Yosef is the model of kiddush Hashem. He was the only Jew living in Egypt. He lived every moment for Hashem, never forsaking his Jewish identity. In the most difficult of times, he did not assimilate or forget who he was. This is kiddush Hashem par excellence.

Pharaoh’s intent in giving Yosef an Egyptian name was to encourage him to lose his identity. The Torah, however, is quick to state that Yosef went out over the land of Egypt to underscore that Yosef remained Yosef. He was not swept away by the richness of his position as the viceroy. He remained true to his Jewish identity.

This is an important message for SIHA. Despite our focus on how to succeed in the modern “general studies” world we dare not forget our roots. A good starting point is to retain our Hebrew names, Yosef, who despite Pharaoh’s efforts to rename him, to redirect him, remained the same steadfast Yosef HaTzadik.

Good Shabbos 🙂

—
Chana Uzhansky Ed.D.
Head Of School

Special Announcement

Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we all had an incredibly fun and exciting Chanukah week at Siha!

We enjoyed decorating our delicious Chanukah donuts with frosting and sprinkles. And of course, we had a great time eating them too
It was lots of fun to play dreidel and eat our Chanukah Gelt taffy in the end of the game.
The Roller Jam trip was absolutely amazing. Every one of us enjoyed skating and blading around the rink, with awesome Chanukah music playing in the background.
Today, we decorated and filled up our colorful dreidel pinatas with lots of different taffies and candies.

We are very much looking forward to the Chanukah party next week. Reminder to grades 5-8 that the Menorah contest is due on Monday at the party. In order to enter the party, each student will present their creative Menorah creation.
Winners will be chosen at the Chanukah by Dr Uzhansky and Mrs Roskamm and will receive very exciting rewards.

For all students who lit the Menorah all 8 nights of Chanukah, don’t forget to hand in your contest charts to your Judaics teacher, on Tuesday.

Have a wonderful and happy Shabbat Chanukah!
Enjoy your weekend.

Best Regards,
Miss Dershowitz
Mrs Ferber

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade

We baruch Hashem had another great week in Kindergarten and first grade Judaic!
We had a great time reviewing the Chanuka story (the kids know it really well!), “lighting” the menorah, and doing lots of fun Chanuka activities! On Tuesday we had a blast decorating donuts for Chanuka. We also had a special visitor – Morah Kaplan – come for Chanuka to give us treats! On Wednesday we played a real game of dreidel and were so excited to win Chanuka gelt. What a great time we had on our super trip to Roller Jam! The kids got really good at skating and had lots of fun! We even got to fill up a dreidel with delicious Chanuka treats! It was definitely a festive week!
The kindergarteners learned a new letter, chet, this week! This letter is extra special because the holiday Chanuka begins with it!
The first graders continued learning how to read different letters with kamatz or patach sounds. They’re getting really good at differentiating between the different sounds.
The first grade also learned how to write the letter nun in script letters. They make beautiful curves.
Happy Chanuka!
I’m looking forward to another great week!
Morah Chavi

Second Grade
What an exciting Chanukah week we experienced. Tuesday we had a blast frosting and sprinkling our donuts. We had choices of vanilla or chocolate frosting and a wide range of colored sprinkles to choose from. Wednesday we enjoyed a dreidel game in class and Thursday was our trip to Roller Jam. Don’t worry we did get some learning in as well. We are practicing our reading skills, reviewing the customs and laws of Chanukah and learned an important lesson about remaining humble from this weeks Parsha. Yosef was called to interpret King Phaarohs dream. The first thing Yosef told the king is that Hashem gives him the ability to do this. Even if we are smart, good looking and capable (as all our second graders are) we should never become arrogant and haughty and must remember our looks and talents are all gifts from Hashem. Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah. Morah Spiegel

Morah Ferber

Fourth Grade
בס”ד
Dear Parents,
4th Grade
Happy Chanukah everyone.
It was a short week in the classroom being that Monday we were on vacation and Thursday was a terrific trip.
We enjoyed all the fun activities the school offered.
It is hard to know where to start. The Davening, the learning, and the enjoyment of Chanukah, all of them were special. The trip was a real hit. The children skating around the rink with happy faces was a joy to witness.
In class, we went through the Nekudos of Komatz, Pasach, Teirei, and Segol. After saying the letters, we searched for words using the letters with the Nekudos. Can you believe it?? We did it without Google. We got many good words. “Dag” fish, “Aba” father, “Tzav”, turtle and much more. It was loads of fun.
We had many raffle winners for Davening and learning.
We practiced for the upcoming performance which we are very excited about. Stay tuned for details.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Berelowitz

5th and 6th Girls
Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we had an absolutely incredible Chanukah week at Siha!
We decorated donuts with frosting and colorful sprinkles – delicious! We had a wonderful time learning Chumash on Wednesday. We had Ella Dery as our watchmen, in case the Greeks would come and see us learning Torah. They would kill us because that is against our King Antiochus’s decree, which does not allow us to learn Torah. Every time Ella saw Greek soldiers coming near our cave, she would shout, “The Yevanim (Greeks) are coming!” and we would speedily put our Chumashim into our desks and take out our dreidels to play.
The dejected Greeks unfortunately could not kill us for learning Torah..
We had a spectacularly fun time at Roller Jam on Thursday. I’m not sure why the girls seemed so surprised that I could rollerblade:)
We decorated our colorful dreidel pinatas with Chanukah stickers and filled them with lots of awesome candy.
I am so proud to hear that all the girls are lighting their Menorahs at home.
Each day of Chanukah, we practiced lighting a Menorah in our classroom, singing the Berachot and songs together. And, of course, don’t forget our daily Chanukah dancing after we lit the Menorah.
We tried to stick in some regular learning as well:) We learned the Beracha of Mezonot, which we say on cake, cookies, pretzels, etc. It is the blessing we make on grains that are not turned into bread.
It is important to note that tonight we are lighting the Menorah before we light the Shabbat candles because we can’t light fire on Shabbat.

Have a wonderful and happy Shabbat Chanukah!
Enjoy your weekend.

Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz

5th and 6th Boys

5th and 6th grade boys had a fantastic , albeit shortened week.
We began with learning about a Mikeitz, which incidentally always occurs on Chanuka!
Mikeitz, is an especially emotional Parasha, where Yosef actually realizes his dreams and plays them out as if they were a prophecy.
First, Paro has troubling dreams and is not satisfied with any interpretation until Yosef Hatzadik is removed from jail and interprets them for him. Paro did not accept the interpretations of his sorcerers or advisors, because they were telling him interpretations such as he would beget 7 daughters and bury 7 daughters. Paro, a non Jewish king, understood that his dream was a message from G-d, NOT for his personal family, but for his kingdom.
The brothers are now coming to Egypt and bowing down to Yosef just as they had in his dreams [In the dreams, Yosef did not actually see his brothers but a representation thereof].
In the end of this week’s Parasha , Yosef “repays” his brothers’ act of selling him, by holding Binyamin hostage.
We learned even more about Chanukah.
On Tuesday, we went to the lunch room where we all enjoyed decorating our own doughnuts and eating them.
Wednesday was playing dreidel.
Thursday was Roller Jam!
On Friday, we had a lot of fun filling our dreidels.
Rabbi Kuritsky told a fantastic story about George Washington and a Menorah!
Shabbat Shalom

7th and 8th Girls

7th and 8th grade wonderful girls had a fantastic ,albeit shortened week.
We began with learning about a Mikeitz, which incidentally always occurs on Chanuka!
Mikeitz, is an especially emotional Parasha, where Yosef actually realizes his dreams and plays them out as if they were a prophecy.
First, Paro has troubling dreams and is not satisfied with any interpretation until Yosef Hatzadik is removed from jail and interprets them for him. Paro did not accept the interpretations of his sorcerers or advisors, because they were telling him interpretations such as he would beget 7 daughters and bury 7 daughters. Paro, a non Jewish king, understood that his dream was a message from G-d, NOT for his personal family, but for his kingdom.
The brothers are now coming to Egypt and bowing down to Yosef just as they had in his dreams [In the dreams, Yosef did not actually see his brothers but a representation thereof].
In the end of this week’s Parasha , Yosef “repays” his brothers’ act of selling him, by holding Binyamin hostage.
We learned even more about Chanukah. We covereed about SIXTY relevant facts.
On Tuesday, we went to the lunch room where we all enjoyed decorating our own doughnuts and eating them.

Thank you to Noga Sayag for decorating a donut especially for her favoritre Rabbi, Rabbi Kuritsky.
It was beautiful.
It was delicious.

Wednesday we played dreidel using “taffe (chocolate coins look alike) coins”.
All were winners.
Thursday was Roller Jam!
On Friday, we had a lot of fun filling our dreidels.
Rabbi Kuritsky told a fantastic story about George Washington and a Menorah!
Shabbat Shalom

7th and 8th Boys

Happy Chanukah everyone.
What a fun filled week it was.
Yes, we had changes in our regular learning schedule to learn the topics of Chanukah.
In explaining the Davening, we went through the Beracha we add in for Chanukah “Al Hanisim” instead of the regular Berochos of Shemona Esreh.
In Gemara instead of learning the Gemara of Makkos, we learnt the Gemara of Shabbos which discusses the famous argument of Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel of how a person lights the Menorah.
This Shabbos is Rosh Chodesh and Chanukah. We read from 3 Sefrei Torah’s.
The trip to roller jam was loads of fun. The students really went fast, zooming around the rink. It was special to see those expert skaters.

Topics from the Parsha:
יוֹסף spent another 2 years in jail (a total of 12 years).
פַּרעֹה had 2 dreams:
7 big and healthy cows were eaten up by 7 small, skinny cows.
7 strong pieces of wheat were swallowed up by 7 dried out pieces.
None of the advisors had a good way to explain the dreams. The butler remembered that יוסף had helped him and told פרעה about יוסף. פרעה sent for יוסף to come; at that time he was 30 years old.
With the help of Hashem,יוסף explained the dreams: 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of terrible famine. He advised פרעה to start saving food now.
פרעה put יוסף in charge of saving up food, and made him second in command over the whole מצרים.
יוסף married Osnas and had 2 sons, who he named מנשה and אפרים.
יַעַקֹב sent the שבטים to מצרים to buy food. יוסף recognized his brothers and acted very strict to them.

Keep it up,
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Berelowitz

Elementary School

Kindergarten

This week kindergarten had a lot of fun celebrating Chanukah. They finished writing their first predictable books. They enjoyed grading their own writing and determining on their own what they felt they did well on and what they felt they need to include in their writing next time. They are also writing a pattern book about Chanukah. In math they learned how to compare numbers and determine if a number is greater or less than. The class loved playing the card game war to practice this skill and they got to play a different Chanukah math game everyday. They also noticed patterns on a hundred chart and can now identify and locate the numbers 1-100. In science they learned about severe weather and they did an experiment to make a tornado in a bottle. In social studies they almost finished their All About Me books. Their favorite part of social studies this week was making handprints and footprints for their All About Me books.

Second Grade
What an action packed week! Academically, 2nd grade reviewed our 2nd math unit on addition and subtraction, in preparation for a test next week. In ELA, we had a quiz on nouns. We are also reviewing our 2nd social studies unit, “places near and far,” in preparation for our unit 2 social studies test. Some of our 2nd grade students received a thank you certificate from senator Andrew Lanza, for their participation in the Thanksgiving Day Creative Celebration! In the pictures, you can see students holding their certificates. You can also see Brianna Sanders correctly solving a challenging subtraction problem in the millions, and Joseph Cohen doing the same for a problem in the billions! We also had tons of fun celebrating Chanukah! We went to the Chanukah sale, set up by our amazing PTA, and we also went to Roller Jam! It was a great week!
Mr. F

This week kindergarten had a lot of fun celebrating Chanukah. They finished writing their first predictable books. They enjoyed grading their own writing and determining on their own what they felt they did well on and what they felt they need to include in their writing next time. They are also writing a pattern book about Chanukah. In math they learned how to compare numbers and determine if a number is greater or less than. The class loved playing the card game war to practice this skill and they got to play a different Chanukah math game everyday. They also noticed patterns on a hundred chart and can now identify and locate the numbers 1-100. In science they learned about severe weather and they did an experiment to make a tornado in a bottle. In social studies they almost finished their All About Me books. Their favorite part of social studies this week was making handprints and footprints for their All About Me books.

This week in math we review our unit on Operations of Whole Numbers. We solved multi step word problems with the use of bar models, continued to work on multiplying by 2 digit number and long division.
In ELA we worked on writing comparison essay. Kids used Venn diagram to organize their thoughts. Worked in groups revising their drafts and presented their amazing work to the class.
In Social Studies we continued to work on chapter 3 Exploring the East and people of the East. Identified three groups of people who have lived in the East. Described two ways that American Indians have used the natural resources of the East. Discussed why European colonists moved to North America. We also reviewed for chapter 3 test.

Fifth Grade

5th graders had a great week!
Both classes continued with their novel studies. 5A continued to read Maniac Magee, and 5B continued to read Holes. Both classes are progressing great in their reading units!
In grammar, students learned about parts of speech, and practiced telling which part of speech is which.
Both classes also got a chance to show off their signing skills in a special Chanukah Choir! Please look forward to seeing this via video form!
In Social Studies, both classes are gearing up for a big project on famous Explorers. Please look forward to it!

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies

6th Grade
Greetings and salutations!
This week has been a very busy week despite all of the festivities.
In grammar the 6th grade learned about common and proper nouns. They also wrapped up their novel study of Fish in a Tree and began their new novel, Hatchet. For Hatchet, the 6th graders are focusing on different types of conflict.
In Social Studies the 6th grade continued their journey into India. They learned about the early Indus Valley civilization and the rigid caste system.

7th Grade
7th Graders had a really busy week!
In reading, students wrapped up their novel study of Fever, 1793, and started working on their essay. In grammar, this week was all about pronouns: personal, possessive, demonstrative and indefinite. Students also wrote beautiful paragraphs as part of their State Test Prep.
In Social Studies, the 7th graders continued their unit on Early American colonies. They read primary sources by John Smith, learned about Jamestown, and wrote a response in which they critically examined the two primary sources and modern day historian perspectives on them.

8th Grade

8th graders had a really busy week!
In reading, we wrapped up Lord of the Flies and started working on our allegory essay. Students completed their prewriting and outlines, and are starting their drafts on Monday. In grammar, we started our lesson on pronouns. We learned about different types of pronouns, including indefinite, demonstrative, reflexive, intensive, and interrogative pronouns.
In Social Studies, we started our unit on World War 2.
Best of luck to all the 8th graders attempting the SHSAT this weekend. We’re cheering you on!
Middle School Math

5th grade learned how to multiply whole numbers and mixed numbers with fractions.

6th grade applied operations with rational numbers.

7th grade finished volume and learned how to use scale factors to find dimensions.

8th grade learned how to generate equations given slope and y-intercept or two points.

Middle School Science

6th gr.

Students learned and understood how tectonic plate motions have resulted in global changes in geography, climate, and the patterns of organic evolution. During an activity students were able to understand the different plate boundaries when they completed the informational chart.

7th Grade

7th grade is discovering the ways in which we identify the characteristics of physical properties, the difference between a physical and chemical change and how we determine the various characteristics of matter. Students will watch various videos and conduct hands-on investigations to determine the density of an object.

8th Grade

Students are discovering what it means to be alive! Students will be completing a Scientific Explanation answering the essential question “What does an organism need to be deemed alive?” They are investigating various articles and will watch a few videos to begin their investigation, so they can determine a position and make a claim. Once their investigation is complete, students will make their claim and support it with evidence from the sources they used to complete their investigation.

8th gr. Science Nachas

Mrs. Belli was so proud of Lana, Leora and Yisroel. Students were able to present their work in an amazing presentation: “Plants as Medicine ” Keep it up!! Great job!!

Jewish History

7th grade finished our unit on the flood and how it changed the world
8th grade reviewed the answer to their question: How do we know the Torah is true?

A group of my students had a great time celebrating Chanukah at my home on Wednesday night, including Menorah Lighting, Dancing, a D’Var Torah from Eliezer Rosskamm, homemade Latkes and Donuts, chips, pretzels, candy, cookies….
Happy Chanukah

Newsletter for November 19, 2021

by admin | Nov 19, 2021 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

In this week’s Parsha, Yaakov fought with AIsav’s angel. While he won the fight, he was injured in his thigh. Because of this, the Torah commands us to refrain from eating the “Gid HaNasheh”, the sciatic nerve of an animal.

The Hebrew word, Nasheh, comes from the root of forgetting. During the times of Chanukah, the Greeks worked hard to make us forget the Torah. They did not object to the Jews as a people, but objected to Judaism, which made the Jews unique.

After Yaakov was injured, the Torah tells us that the sun shone, Lo, for him. The Hebrew word, Lo, has a numeric value of 36. Over the 8 nights of Chanukah, we light 36 candles (plus the Shamesh).

Yaakov Avinu was healed by the sun. The Jewish people are restored by the light of the Chanukah candles.

In every generation, the non-Jews try to hit us, the Jewish people, in the Gid HaNasheh. They try to make us forget the Torah, forget what makes us unique, different from the non-Jews. We keep ourselves separate from the non-Jews. We do not eat the Gid HaNasheh. We remind ourselves of who we are and keep that light burning, through the 36 Chanuka candles that we light over the 8 nights of Chanukah.

(Rav Moshe Wolfson, Meaningful Minute)

Mrs. Rosskamm
Judaic Studies Coordinator

Special Announcement

Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we had a wonderful week at Siha! We definitely feel the Chanukah atmosphere and are excitedly looking forward. The students are working hard to create beautiful Menorahs which will be presented at the Chanukah party on December 6th.
The spectacular Chanukah packages and beautiful silver plated Menorahs for each student will be given out on Wednesday, before Thanksgiving break. The 1st Chanukah Menorah lighting is on Sunday night, November 28.
The school-wide Menorah-lighting contest is for each student to light their Menorah each night of Chanukah with the berachot (blessings.)
The contest sheet will be included in the Chanukah package this Wednesday. There will be great prizes for each student who gives it in to their Judaics teacher after Chanukah as well as an entry an exciting raffle.
Shabbat Shalom!
Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz & Mrs Ferber
Programming Coordinators

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade
We baruch Hashem had another great week in kindergarten and first grade Judaics!
In kriah, the first graders are learning to read longer kamatz words and are really doing a great job! They played a fun game of kamatz hangman and kamatz matching with real words! They can’t wait to learn the new nekuda next week. The kindergarteners welcomed in the VAV visitor this week and know how vav is partnered with vet. They also learned about the important mitzvah of “unishmartem es nafshoseichem” (staying safe) and are all super careful to buckle up in the car and wear helmets while bike riding.
The first grade learned a new kesiva letter – the letter vav!
Both classes continued learning the story of the upcoming holiday of Chanuka. They had such fun acting out the scene of the brave Jews ignoring the king Antiochus’s terrible decrees and learning Torah in secret, playing dreidel when the Greek soldiers (Morah:)) came to search for the rule breakers. They were amazed how, despite the harsh decrees, the Jews continued serving Hashem and the children made their very own “Mi laHashem alay” badges showing how they listen to Hashem even when it’s hard.
In parsha, they heard how Yaakov went to great lengths to get some small jars because everything Hashem gives us is very important and must be taken care of. They made their very own small jars with pictures of the small items they own that should be important to them.
It was lovely seeing everyone by PTA. I’m looking forward to another great week!
Morah Chavi

Second Grade
We are having a busy and exciting week preparing for Chanukah. We hope you will enjoy and use our homemade project over the holiday. We learned about the mitzva of not wasting in this weeks Parsha our ancestor Yaakov went back to the other side of the river to locate some small jars he left there. We talked about what we do with clothes that don’t fit us anymore. Zechariah (Zak) and Bryna (Brianna) both said they would donate the clothes. We also talked about not wasting food. We hope all our mothers enjoy the special gift we made and will use it weekly. Shabbat Shalom

Third Grade

This week in 3rd grade was an outstanding week of learning and growing together.
Firstly, I’d like to mention how proud I am of my 3rd grade. They have all completed the first davening contest!
Yes! Their Davening is really so special to Hashem!
We continued learning Hebrew prefixes. We learned this week that “Lamed” means TO or FOR.
We practiced our Zachar and Nekaivah numbers 1-19! it could get confusing but they are doing it beautifully.
Our Dikduk skills are getting better every day and I am so proud of the way they catch onto the Hebrew language.
In Pitgam we learned the wonderful Mitzvah of Tzedakah.
Thank you Gal Zadok for the fun game.
Chanukah is in the air and 3rd grade is learning about the miracle and Mitzvot of Chanukah. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for next week!

Shabbat Shalom!
Morah Ferber

Fourth Grade

Dear Parents,

This week we covered many topics.
Our Tefilla once again was terrific. Children Davening beautifully, it was really a pleasure to see. We spoke about the explanations of parts of Davening.
We were excited to speak about the Chanuka story … worksheets that have letters with nekudos! We really got the feeling of Chanuka.
We are getting ready for the Play we hope to have about 2 weeks after Chanuka. We enjoy the practice each day.
Congratulations to Zohar and Josh for being this week’s raffle winners.

In the Parsha יעקב אבינו returned to the other side of the river by himself, in the middle of the night, to get a few jugs that he forgot there. He had many reasons not to go back and get them: he was by himself, it was in the middle of the night, he was very rich and could get new ones… The lesson we learn is that we have care for what Hashem us.

Have a great Shabbos,
Rabbi Berelowitz

5th and 6th Girls
Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we had a wonderful week!
We began learning all about chanukah. Throughout the entire week, we learned in depth the history of the story of Chanukah. The girls made a book, adding new chapters for every new tale in the chanukah story. They chose the titles they thought were befitting for each story and summarized the stories; decorating, drawing and coloring as we went along.
We are looking forward to learning about the holiday celebrations and costums next week, now that we have a full understanding on the chanukah story.
We continued on in Chumash Shemot, learning about the multiplication of the Jewish nation in Egypt and Pharaoh’s plan to destroy them.
We learned the 3rd blessing of Shemoneh Esrei about the holiness of Hashem.
We learned all about this week’s Parsha, Parshat Vayishlach.
We enjoyed singing Shabbat songs and getting a special Shabbat treat to save for Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom!
Have a nice weekend.
Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz

5th and 6th Boys

This week we continued onwards in Mishna.
We learned about a case where there were two “finders”. One riding on an animal and one leading the animal.
The law is the same as in the case where two came in holding a lost/found object. They must swear and then they may split it.
If they admit or produce witnesses, we divide it without anyone swearing.
In Parashat Va’eira, we learned about the maka of dam blood.
In Parasha we covered many details, including but not limited to;
Yaakov preparing to meet brother Eisav by,
Praying,
Preparing a Doron = a gift [a very large one]
Preparing for war.
We read a few Chanuka plays, and we are going to take a vote to see which one we will perform.
Can’t wait
We studied Navi Yehoshua, and completed Perek Vav,with our beautiful workbook. We learned about the Jews conquering the land of Israel, and sparing Rachav and her family, as per the promise of the “spies”.
There is really more in store.

7th and 8th Girls

This week we continued onwards in Mishna.
We learned about a case where there were two “finders”. One riding on an animal and one leading the animal.
The law is the same as in the case where two came in holding a lost/found object. They must swear and then they may split it.
If they admit or produce witnesses, we divide it without anyone swearing.
In Parashat Va’eira, we learned about the maka of dam blood.
In Parasha we covered many details, including but not limited to;
Yaakov preparing to meet brother Eisav by,
Praying,
Preparing a Doron = a gift [a very large one]
Preparing for war.
We sudied and were quizzed on a lot of info on Be’ur T’fila.
We went further in Halacha- Hilchot Hashkamat Haboker.
We learned alot about the translation of the morning Brachot.
We read a few Chanuka plays and we will have a vote about which one we will use to perform.
there is more
in store

7th and 8th Boys

Dear Parents,
This week we covered many topics.
In explaining the Davening, we spoke about the Berochos of Teshuva. We spoke about how special it is, to be able to ask for forgiveness.
In Gemara we started a brand-new topic. It is the topic of, if someone throws a stone, is he obligated to go to Galus. Mikai did a great job acting out the Gemara.
In Halacha we started learning about Chanuka. We are excited for the Holiday.

Congratulations to Jeffrey and Noam for winning the week’s raffle.
Topics from the Parsha:
יעקב sent messengers to find out if עשו (after 34 years) was still mad at him for taking the ברכות.
The messengers told יעקב that עשו was marching towards him, to fight, with 400 men!
יעקב did 3 things to prepare himself:
1) תפילה.
He sent presents (a lot of small ones to make it look like more).
3) He divided his family into 2 so that at least one group would be able to run away.
When יעקב returned to get the jugs, he met the מלאך of עשו. They fought the rest of the night, and the מלאך was only able to hurt his thigh.
יעקב let the מלאך go only after he agreed that יעקב really deserved the ברכות.
יעקב led his family towards עשו, and he bowed 7 times to show respect to עשו.
עשו hugged יעקב and didn’t hurt him at all.
After עשו told יעקב that he wanted to travel together, יעקב (not wanting to travel with a רשע) told עשו to travel ahead, because he has little children and animals and can’t travel so fast.
רבקה died before יעקב returned home.
רחל died right after she gave birth to her second son-בנימין, the twelfth שבט. She is buried on the side of the road in קבר רחל, that is still there today. It’s a special place for davening.

Have a Good Shabbos!

Rabbi Berelowitz

Thoughts from Mrs. Hazen

Firstly, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Next week is a short week; so the next Newsletter won’t come out until the week after, and that one will be about a much bigger celebration at SIHA: Chanukah.

Thanksgiving is an odd holiday. It was created as a holiday after the Civil War; and it grew out of a need to have a holiday that would unite a nation divided. Its roots are wholly secular, and it was created a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln (Inspired by an editorial writing campaign by Sarah Josepha Hale). How people celebrate this holiday varied from place to place, until eventually settling into a familiar form by the latter 20th century, when the familiar ‘Pilgrims and Indians’ story got adopted as well.

My family are immigrants to this country, so for us, it is an adopted holiday. As such, we had no family traditions regarding this time. It was nice to have the time off from work and school and be together as a family, so we would cook a big meal, and hang out.

The weather, of course, is turning colder, but it is still warm enough for walks. I absolutely love this part of fall. There are many leaf piles to run through still, and the parks are just cool enough to be bug-free and warm enough to play in. I’m looking forward to that this year – going out on the day of, enjoying the leaves and the cool autumn sun, and rediscovering the joy of running through piles of leaves with my little one.

I hope that my students and their families find a moment next week to enjoy the outside, too. Most of them carry the world in their pockets, and to quote William Wordsworth, “The world is too much with us.”

There is a kind of magic of living in one of the biggest cities in the world, and still getting to enjoy fall leaves and ponds and fuzzy caterpillars. Take a walk or ride your bike, I tell my students; adulthood these days involves way too much staring at screens already.
I leave off with a memorable poem about fog, by Carl Sandburg, quoted below in its entirety:

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Elementary School

Kindergarten
This week kindergarten worked super hard on their writing skills! They are practicing writing a sentence beginning with a capital letter, putting spaces between their words, and ending with a punctuation mark. They listened to many read alouds of predictable books and they started to write their own predictable book. In math they continued to review for their math test on patterns that they will take next week.
They made pattern bracelets, did pattern dot painting, and played pattern games. In science they continued to learn about the water cycle. They did two really fun experiments to learn about the water cycle, rain, and snow. They recreated the water cycle in a cup and then they made snow. In social studies they learned about Thanksgiving and why we celebrate Thanksgiving. They were really interested in a video they watched about real Native American children and how they live and play.

First grade learned that veterans protect our country and help other countries when needed. We discussed family members who served in the United States armed forces, and wrote letters to thank them for their service. The first graders enjoyed reading “Kitten’s First Full Moon” wherein we learned about cause and effect. We created addition stories in Math. In Science, we discussed ways to combat water pollution. Finally, for Social Studies the first graders made Thankful projects in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Second Grade
2nd grade took a quiz on subtraction with borrowing this week! We are also working on solving word problems, and identifying key words in word problems to help us figure out what steps/operations are required to solve them. In the picture you can see Aaron Kadymir solving a word problem on the board. In ELA we are learning about nouns, what they are, and how to identify them in sentences. In social studies we are learning about weather, climate, and different kinds of landforms. In science, students learned what is a habitat and how animals meet their needs; Students describe the animals and plants they live and adapt in the Woodland forest.

Third Grade
This week Grade 3 students learned how to identify and correct run on sentences. During our Math lessons, students practiced solving addition equations vertically and through number bonding. They also continued to develop their skills in solving word problems and rounding. During our Reading lessons, students continued reading their class novel – Love That Dog. Students saw Jack use more and more literary devices such as imagery to continue his journey of writing poetry. Students were also introduced to Aesop’s fables through a play called The Ants and the Grasshoppers. They were able to analyze and identify the elements of the play with the concentration towards the play’s theme. During our Social Studies lessons, students compared and contrasted the three types of communities. They reviewed everything we learned through our research and are ready to take the quiz on Monday.
Miss Sasha

In science, students learned and were able to explain the path of the respiratory system; explain the differences between lungs and gills; gave examples of the ways that animals respond to the environment.

In science, students started a new chapter: “Organization of Living Things”
During a mini-lab: Students were able to dissect and illustrate the structure of a flower. Observing and illustrating the parts of a flower was so exciting.

Fifth Grade
Fifth Graders welcomed their new ELA and Social Studies teacher, Mr. Kestenbaum. Mr. Kestenbaum comes with 35 years of experience and is very excited to be joining SIHA. Fifth graders wrote introductory letters to Mr. Kestenbaum. In grammar, students reviewed for their Vocabulary Test. Everyone did a good job! In reading, 5B continued their novel study of Holes while 5A continued their novel study of Maniac Magee. In Social Studies, the students finished their chapter on Native Americans and started learning about the Age of Exploration.

In gym, Rabbi Kuritsky showed up and helped the 5th grade work out!

In science, students learned and compared characteristics of plants that improve their ability to survive in a specific environment. Describe how food is transported in plants.

Students performed a Mini-Lab: How does water flow through the celery stem? During the lab students were able to make an observation on the plant’s stem.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies

6th Grade

Sixth grade had a busy week!
Ms. Tatic joined our classroom as the new 6th grade teacher. Mrs. Hazen was there every day to smooth out the transition. In grammar, students learned about and practiced identifying Subject Complements. In reading, students started their literary analysis essay by making an outline and populating it with textual evidence.
In Social Studies, the class started their next unit on Ancient India.

7th Grade

Seventh grade had a busy week!
Ms. Tatic joined the 7th grade as the new ELA and Social Studies teacher. Mrs. Hazen was still in the classroom every day to help smooth out the transition. Students learned a new method of annotating nonfiction texts to help finding meaning easier. We annotated and discussed the Gettysburg Address, and later on in the week, did the same for JFK’s Inaugural Address.
In reading, we continued our novel study and had great class discussion.
Students also reviewed for and took their Unit 1 Vocabulary Test. Ilan got a 100%!
In Social Studies, students learned about the Age of Exploration and made a poster identifying the causes, the technological advances, and the results of European Exploration.

8th Grade
Eighth Grade had a good week!
This week was all about wrapping up our novel study of Lord of the Flies. We did close reading of key passages and analysis in terms of characterization and allegorical meaning. Students also answered reading comprehension questions.
Students also reviewed for and took their Unit 1 Vocabulary Test. Everyone studied hard!
In Social Studies, we started our unit on the Great Depression and the New Deal. Students had wonderful class discussions over the causes and effects of the Great Depression.

Middle School Math
5A and 5B grade worked on adding and subtracting mixed numbers.
6th grade worked on multiplying and dividing fractions.
7th grade learned how to calculate the area of composite shapes and surface area of prisms.
8th grade learned how to convert equations to standard form.

Middle School Science

6th gr.

Students learned and understood how tectonic plate motions have resulted in global changes in geography, climate, and the patterns of organic evolution. During an activity students were able to understand the different plate boundaries when they completed the informational chart.

7th Grade

7th grade is discovering the ways in which we identify the characteristics of physical properties, the difference between a physical and chemical change and how we determine the various characteristics of matter. Students will watch various videos and conduct hands-on investigations to determine the density of an object.

8th Grade

Students are discovering what it means to be alive! Students will be completing a Scientific Explanation answering the essential question “What does an organism need to be deemed alive?” They are investigating various articles and will watch a few videos to begin their investigation, so they can determine a position and make a claim. Once their investigation is complete, students will make their claim and support it with evidence from the sources they used to complete their investigation.

8th gr. Science Nachas

Mrs. Belli was so proud of Lana, Leora and Yisroel. Students were able to present their work in an amazing presentation: “Plants as Medicine ” Keep it up!! Great job!!

Jewish History
7th grade continued exploring the first 10 generations of this world. We learned the 6 commandments that apply to all people and we saw how the lack of following those commandments lead to discord and destruction. Each student wrote for me their own example based on what we learned. I got some very interesting answers that I enjoyed very much. Congratulations to Eva and Gabby for surprising me with something I never thought of before!

8th grade continued our journey into the Babalonian exile. We learned about the end of Nevechadnetzar’s reign, the peaceful times of Evil Merodach and the upheaval of Balshatzar, complete with hands writing on the wall!.

Newsletter for 11/12/2021

by admin | Nov 12, 2021 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

“To try, to fall, to fear, and yet to keep going: that is what it takes to be a leader.” Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

What is it that made Yaakov – not Avraham or Yitzchak, or Moshe– the true father of the Jewish people? We are called “Bnei Yisrael,” “the Children of Israel. And bear Yaakov/Yisrael’s name. Yet Yaakov did not begin the Jewish journey; Avraham did. Yaakov faced no trial like that of Yitzchak at the Akeida. He did not lead the people out of Mitzrayim or bring them the Torah. To be sure, all his children stayed within the faith, unlike Avraham or Yitzchak, so how did he succeed where Avraham and Yitzchak failed?

It seems that the answer lies in parshat Vayetze and parshat Vayishlach. Yaakov was the man whose greatest visions came to him when he was alone at night, far from home, fleeing from one danger to the next. In parshat Vayetze, escaping from Esav, he stops and rests for the night with only stones to lie on, and has an epiphany:

He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of G-d were ascending and descending on it…. When Yaakov awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely that Hashem is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of G-d; this is the gate of heaven.” (Gen. 28:12–17)

In parshat Vayishlach, fleeing from Lavan and terrified at the prospect of meeting Esav again, he wrestles alone at night with an unnamed stranger.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Yaakov, but Yisrael, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”…So Yaakov called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” (Gen. 32:29–31)

These are the decisive spiritual encounters of Yaakov’s life, yet they happen in liminal space (the space between, neither a starting point nor a destination), at a time when Yaakov is at risk in both directions – where he comes from and where he is going to. Yet it is at these points of maximal vulnerability that he encounters Hashem and finds the courage to continue despite all the hazards of the journey; with his family bearing witness.

That is the strength Yaakov bequeathed to the Jewish people. What is remarkable is not merely that this one tiny people survived tragedies that would have spelled the end of any other people but that after each cataclysm, Judaism renewed itself, scaling new heights of achievement.

We can be defeated by the suffering or tests that trap us or we can endure, experience G-d’s salvation and find its meaning. Our children bear witness to our actions. To them, our struggles must only be recalled as our trophies of achievement. Our battle scars, responses to life should inspire them and to keep moving forward and walk in our ways, path of Torah and good deeds.

Shabbat Shalom

Dr. Chana Uzhansky

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade

We baruch Hashem had another great week in Kindergarten and first grade Judaics!
In kriah, the kindergarteners learned all about how HEY hurt his foot and has to hop, but he’s still always happy! Hat day and a special hat game in honor of the letter hey was lots of fun. They also learned from hey about the mitzvah of hakaras hatov- being appreciative and saying thank you. They even made a special card to thank their wonderful mothers! The first graders are really mastering the nekudah kamatz. They already know how to read real two-letter words!
In kesiva, the first graders learned with their friend Akiva how to write the letter yud in script! It’s really easy and fun!
In yahadut, both classes began learning about the upcoming holiday of Chanuka! They learned how different the Jewish people were from the Greek people and how lucky we are to be part of the Jewish nation! They also heard about the mean Greek king Antiyochus who made five terrible decrees against the Jewish people. They are doing a great job writing the Chanuka story in their special booklets!
In parsha, they couldn’t believe the story of Rochel giving up her marriage partner to save her sister Leah from embarrassment! What self-sacrifice! They also know a fun song that lists all the 12 shevatim (Yaakov’s children).
The yom iyun on Veterans Day was a huge success! It was great learning all about the mitzvah of thanking Hashem and others (especially our parents…) together with the wonderful parents and students! Thank you to all the parents who made the effort to join us.
Looking forward to another great week,
Morah Chavi

Second Grade

We had another busy week in 2nd grade. We began learning about Chanukah and can’t believe Chanukah is only a little over two weeks away. We spent time talking about speaking respectfully to our parents,teachers and each other. We learn from our ancestor Yaakov that even though his father in law tricked him, he remained calm and always spoke in a respectful way. Parent/Child Learning Day worked out beautifully, and the concept of “Hacarat Hatov” gratitude was discussed. The children thought of different ways they can help their parents and filled in the flower with various reasons they appreciate their mommy. A special thanks to Mrs. Rosskamm and Mrs. Ferber for working so hard on for this special day. Shabbat Shalom.

Third Grade

Third grade is growing higher every day with the beautiful work they show.
Their Davening is beautiful! We even started saying Baruch Sheamar. They can even say it in English as well.
We continued learning Hebrew Prefix words. Like -Hey before a word means “the”.
In Chayainu we now are practicing numbers 11-19 in Hebrew, And in Pitgam we learned the beautiful lesson of when Shabbat comes, peace comes to the world. Daniella Usobuv displayed it very well.
Third grade truly enjoyed a special visit from our parents on Thursday. We were all so amazed by the way they understood the concept of how we should be appreciative for what we have in this world.
This week’s Parshah the boys and girls remembered beautifully! The story was brought to life in the classroom by the amazing excitement and creative drawing.
They amaze me!
Keep it up!

Shabbat Shalom!
Morah Ferber

Fourth Grade

Dear Parents,
What a fun filled week it was. There is a lot to talk about.
In class we discussed how important it is to look inside a Siddur when we Daven, even though we may know the Davening by heart. Zohar and Tanya really Davened well.
We retold a great story how a person went the hospital on Rosh Hashanah because he wanted to blow Shofar for the people that needed it. He gave up Davening at his own Shul in order to help the people out. We asked in class, why is it important to care for others? The students had great answers.
In writing the numbers in Ivrit, we did from 11 – 20. It was terrific.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Berelowitz

5th and 6th Girls
Dear parents,
Thank G-d, we had a wonderful week!
Thank you to all the parents who joined us this week. (I appreciate those of you who finally took my advice to quit their jobs and join us in our classroom!)
We learned many wonderful things this week. We learned Chumash Parshat Shemot about the Jewish people going down to Egypt. We were wondering why Hashem counted the Jewish people again, if He just counted them. But we’ve learned that it’s because He loves us so much. Just as a person would constantly count a treasured collection (i.e coins, stamps, antiques, cards, etc.), we’re G-d’s treasured collection.
We learned the 2nd Ani Maamin about Hashem’s Oneness. We learned how important it is to say the Shema, as well as how powerful that prayer is. There was once a Jewish man, an atheist, who was hunting with a friend in the African jungles, when a venomous python (snake) approached and coiled around him. As he was being squeezed to death, he suddenly screamed “Shema Yisroel Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad!” (“Listen Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One.”) The python uncoiled from upon him and walked away.
Like they say, there are no atheists in a foxholes.
(He ended up learning more about Torah and Mitzvot and becoming religious.)
We continued on in Shemoneh Esrei, learning the 3rd Beracha of Kedusha, the holiness of Hashem.
Looking forward to another wonderful week!
Shabbat Shalom! Enjoy your weekend.

Best Regards,
Miss Dershowitz

5th and 6th Boys

This week we began and delved into the subject of Beur T’fila The explanation of prayers. The boys are learning, in groups with eachother, the meaning of the morning B’rachot-Blessings.
The boys did well and actually enjoyed exploring the meanings of the blessings.
Rabbi Kuritsky was away for one day to go to a best friend’s son’s wedding in Chicago. Miss Etty taught the boys about the Parasha and special Y’diot Klaliot that Rabbi Kuritsky provided, and davened with the boys. Thank Miss Etty!
The boys greeted Rabbi Kuritsky very warmly upon his return.
Rabbi Berelowitz gave a fantastic presentation about Thanking Hashem on Thursday, Yom Iyun day.
We are excited about the school’s Menorah contest. Let’s see who can be really creative with their project

Doron Eliyahu Saying the Havdala

7th and 8th Boys

Dear Parents,
What a fun filled week it was. There is a lot to talk about.
In Tefilla we spoke about that the fourth Beracha of Shmone Esreh. We discussed the greatness, that Hashem gave us that we have knowledge.
In our Gemara class, it is amazing at see that the children are mastering the words of the Gemara.
In our Halacha class we learnt about the great Mitzvah of Mezuza. We discussed many different scenarios.

Thoughts from Mrs. Hazen

Happy Veteran’s Day!
SIHA hosted a special parent-child learning day this week in honor of our veterans. In addition to that, many classes had a special assignment that explained or celebrated this special day in some way. The 5th grade class created a special board with poppies – and they learned about history of Veteran’s Day as Armistice Day, and why poppies are still used for remembrance in some places.

Of course, our veterans deserve our support every day of the week, and there is no better way to show that than to be the best citizens we can be. There is no small amount of poetry written about patriotism and veterans, but my favorite is A Nation’s Strength. The final two stanzas read:

Not gold but only men can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honor’s sake
Stand fast and suffer long.

Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly…
They build a nation’s pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.

The strength of a nation is in its people; similarly, the strength of a school is in its students. Our students come here every day and strive, achieve, and build themselves up to be the amazing leaders and makers that I know they will be.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Elementary School

Kindergarten
This week kindergarten finished learning all of the letters of the alphabet! To celebrate all their hard work they had an alphabet party. They had a super fun and busy day full of alphabet activities. They popped balloons to find lowercase letters and matched them to the capital letters, they made alphabet hats and bracelets, went on an alphabet scavenger hunt, played alphabet bingo, found the letters in their names and colored them in to decorate the classroom, and they watched an alphabet movie. They also learned this week how to write a sentence. They did an amazing job writing their first sentences independently. In math they continued to learn about patterns. They finished making their pattern book and they made many interesting patterns using blocks. They played one of their favorite games to learn how to count by tens to help them practice counting to 100. In science they continued to learn about the water cycle. The learned a water cycle song and cut and glued the water cycle in sequential order. In social studies they learned about Veterans Day and why we celebrate Veterans Day.

First Grade
First grade learned that veterans protect our country and help other countries when needed. We discussed family members who served in the United States armed forces, and wrote letters to thank them for their service. The first graders enjoyed reading “Kitten’s First Full Moon” wherein we learned about cause and effect. We created addition stories in Math. In Science, we discussed ways to combat water pollution. Finally, for Social Studies the first graders made Thankful projects in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Second Grade
This week 2nd grade finished up our personal narratives, and presented them to the class! We are also finishing up our first book, “The Chocolate Touch.” In math we are continuing to master the skill of borrowing in subtraction. We also started a new unit in social studies. We are learning what state, country, and continent we live on.

In science, students learned and understand that reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Animals have unique and diverse life cycles. Students learned the stages of the butterfly life cycle and compared that with a bear life cycle; reviewed chapter concepts.

Third Grade
This week Grade 3 students completed their review of the grammar concepts that they had learned this year (so far). They were able to display their awesome skills through their very first grammar test. During our Math lessons, students developed their understanding and abilities to round numbers to the nearest ten and hundred. They also continued to work on solving word problems using comprehension skills learned during their reading classes along with C.U.B.E.S. During our Reading lessons, students continued to read our class novel – Love That Dog. This week Jack was able to introduce the class to another one of Robert Frost’s poems called The Pasture. Through Jack’s journey, students were able to explore literary devices such as imagery and alliteration. During our Social Studies lessons, students continued their exploration of urban and suburban communities. They were also able to learn the history and importance of Veterans Day and complete their gratitude projects.
Miss Sasha

In science, students learned the needs of an animal; explain why an animal needs food, water and shelter. Quick Lab: Food is a Fuel
Students created a table and will record the food that they eat every day. 3rd graders were so excited to take home their experimental “green onion” growing from cutting.

This week in ELA students identified plural and proper nouns. Changed singular nouns to plural nouns and capitalized proper nouns. In math this week kids multiplied 4-digit number by 1-digit number, solved multistep word problems, and started to work on long division. In Social Studies we took a test on chapter 2 understanding regions.
In Reading we finished our first chapter book Flora and Ulysses and kids wrote amazing book reports/reviews.

In science, students were able to describe the skeletal and muscular System; explain how the skeletal and Muscular systems interact. Chapter concepts were reviewed.

Fifth graders had a good week!
In ELA, both 5A and 5B learned about nouns. They practiced identifying types of nouns. They continued reading their class novels and discussing them.
Students also had a special project for Veteran’s day. They learned about the history of Veteran’s day as Armistice Day, and created a display with poppies.
In Social Studies, students learned about different Native American cultures and the roles of men, women and children in those cultures.

In science, students learned and understood; Inheritance of Traits; variation of traits Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal are recognizable as similar but can also vary in many ways. Students reviewed chapter concepts.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies

6th grade

Sixth graders had a great week! We learned about poetry analysis, and analyzed poems for Structure, Language, Mood and Meaning. We also wrapped up our novel study of Fish in a Tree, and will start on our essay next week!
In Social Studies, we finished our unit on Ancient Egypt. Students took a quiz, and everyone did a great job!

7th Grade
Seventh graders had a busy week! In ELA, we continued our novel study of Feve, 1793 by examining character motivation. We also wrapped up our first vocabulary unit, and are preparing for a test next week.
In Social Studies, students completed their expository essay on the world before 1493. Everyone did a great job! Mrs. Hazen is particularly impressed with the amount of work Oren Bilik put into his essay. Keep it up!
8th Grade
Eight graders had a great week! They created maps of the island from Lord of the Flies, and continued our novel study of that book. We discussed character development and plot.
In Social Studies, students completed their essay on the changes to American culture during the 1920s. Everyone did a great job!

Middle School Math

This week has been a busy one for the fifth graders. In math, they been working on converting mixed numbers into improper fractions and vice versa. They also have been finding the least common denominator to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators. 5A has creatively called the strategy of multiplying two unlike denominators together when you can’t find the least common denominator the “emergency button.” Ms. Bronstein would like to commend them for being so engaged and having fun in math!

The 6th graders have been hard at work with adding and subtracting decimals. They also have been doing a great job at multiplying decimals which can be tricky since it is so different from adding and subtracting!

The 7th grade class has been finishing up their unit on inequalities by applying their skills to word problems. The 7th grade honors class has been working on finding the circumference and area of circles.

The 8th graders finished their unit on equations and inequalities. They took their first test and did great!

Middle School Science
6th grade

Students were able to understand that Earth’s interior is composed of layers that differ in composition and states of matter.Students described the steps and the action of convection currents and placed them in the correct order of the corresponding diagram. The “Convection Currents” experiment was performed during science class.

7th Grade

Welcome Back to SIHA’s finest form of communication regarding the progress of all SIHA students. 7th grade is discovering the ways in which we identify the characteristics of physical properties, the difference between a physical and chemical change and how we determine the various characteristics of matter. Students will watch various videos and conduct hands-on investigations to determine the density of an object.

8th Grade

Students are discovering what it means to be alive! Students will be completing a Scientific Explanation answering the essential question “What does an organism need to be deemed alive?” They are investigating various articles and will watch a few videos to begin their investigation, so they can determine a position and make a claim. Once their investigation is complete, students will make their claim and support it with evidence from the sources they used to complete their investigation.

Jewish History

7th grade took a test on what we covered in the first term and did a fantastic job. They also continued learning about Adam, his job, and his place in the world.

8th grade is beginning to explore the Babylonian exile and its impact on the Jewish people.